Monday, December 03, 2007

This case is a reminder about why policies related to investigations of members of the police or their families need to be clear including when evidence should be turned over to a separate law enforcement agency to ensure an impartial investigation.

When an employee at a photo shop notified the Atlanta police about some of these photos in 2000 it shouldn't take until October of 2007 for the FBI to be contacted.

Federal authorities allege that the husband of an Atlanta police officer took photos of himself having sex with several young girls, and say the police department had some of the pictures seven years ago but took no action. "This is a very disturbing case, for many reasons," U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said Thursday.

Terrill Crane has now been charged with producing child pornography which under federal statutes considers all those under 18 to be children. Prosecutors say the 11 plus girls who were photographed in 2000 or earlier appeared to be between 12 and 15. The defense attorney not surprisingly is trying to cast doubt on the ages of the girls. Also not surprising is the fact that more photos were found during the FBI's search of the man's home.

The federal prosecutors allege that Sgt. Tanya Crane destroyed potential evidence inside her home to protect her husband when she learned in 2003 that police had some explicit photos. She hasn't charged her with any crimes. She is on paid administrative leave.

I suspect some people will make excuses for this man since he first befriended the girls before allegedly persuading them to be photographed. What these people don't understand is that charming predators are still predators.

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Abyss2hope is centered on date rape, but isn't limited to discussing crimes which can be described this way since the causes and attitudes related to date rape are interconnected with domestic violence and other types of sexual violence.

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